Breaking Down The Walls
by KatelynGibbs
Summary: Leroy Jethro Gibbs is the most stubborn person Shannon Lily Anderson has ever met, but she is determined to break down his walls.
1. Broken

**A/N: **So I actually started writing this before I ever saw Hiatus and was trying to find an explanation for Gibbs' inability to carry a marriage. Then of course I saw Hiatus and had to change a few details in order to keep it canon. This is my interpretation of what Gibbs and Shannon's life was like although I gave up on staying completely canon when they kept adding details of their relationship, so I am aware that it's not entirely accurate. It's pretty darn close, and I hope people will read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

_I watch him from behind a wall of shadows and_

_Though he knows it not, I love him for all he is and can be._

_He spends his life here, fishing in an empty pond_

_For the wisdom of the past when he cannot find it elsewhere._

_Nothing greets him_

_Grants him Her thoughts and all the while_

_I stand watch to keep the bites at bay._

_He cannot know the way they laugh, finding him an easy mark_

_For the bait they throw. He stands tall in a losing fight._

_There is nothing here for him to catch and he well knows it_

_But again he tries._

_

* * *

_

_She thinks I don't know but_

_Her shadow differs from the others by the wings it carries._

_The pond is a mirror before me, unbroken_

_By life and by growth, I would love but for her sake._

_Meantime I search for answers in the stillness_

_And search for her in trees unseen._

_There is peace here with Nothing to ease my thoughts._

_But Nothing exists only for others._

_One day when I come here,_

_Something will break the glass and the silence_

_And my time will be rewarded by the sight of silver scales._

_Until then I will wait for I come only to catch her._

_

* * *

_

_Caught like doves, free like human heart,_

_They lay together for the first time beside the glass-water._

_It's broken by silvery scales as they sleep,_

_Peace in their souls, soon to be shattered,_

_But it is not my place to tell them so._

_Cannot the child be spared such pain?_

_This we all ask and asking begets no answers_

_But those we ourselves provide._

_A happy decade later sees them together but held apart_

_By distance and war and love._

_The crash rocks his world and destroys hers,_

_Leaving twin stones above the blades._

_Satin dresses and golden rings mean nothing to six feet_

_But everything in heaven and more on Earth._

_Broken like the looking glass that lapped at their fingertips,_

_Broken like a baby's old toy,_

_Broken like bones by bombs,_

_Broken like a man who has loved and lost his treasures._

_

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_

**A/N: **For the record, the poem is sort of like a summary of the rest of their lives. It'll make more sense as you read. Thanks!


	2. Challenged

**A/N: **I uploaded this chapter right after the first one, and sadly this will be the last time you get such a quick update. I have almost a hundred different stories going right now, plus a bunch more I'm not writing down, and while I don't publish even a tenth of them, they still all require attention. I'll do my best not to let this story fall off the maps like I sometimes do with my others.

* * *

"_Leroy Jethro Gibbs, you give me back my book right now or I'll...I'll...I'll kiss you!"_

He could still remember the day that he'd heard her shriek those words at him, her face an undignified red with fury, and he could still remember dropping the book to the ground and running away as fast as he could, horrified by the prospect. How he wished she would say those words again, because he'd happily call her bluff. Even if she was telling the truth.

Jethro watched her from the corner of his eye, her dark auburn hair held away from her face with a red bandana, although a few locks had fallen loose and were curling gently down in front of her eyes. She really was beautiful. Just then, the local football player strode into the store and snuck up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and gripping her tightly against him. Jethro turned away, reminded once again of the fact that he was the social outcast, not even enough of a 'bad boy' to hold that appeal. He wasn't popular, he wasn't particularly good in school, and he was a sullen teenage boy who picked fights he couldn't win and acted on his emotions rather than his thoughts. He would never be good enough for her, and she would never even consider looking his way. He stalked out of the store and completely missed the annoyed look she shot at Chuck and the thoughtful gaze on his retreating back.

* * *

God, how he hated the store. Stamping prices on metal cans and stocking supplies all day was hardly his idea of a decent way to spend his time. He wanted out of this godforsaken town, he wanted to do something really worthwhile. But for now, he was stuck here, unloading groceries onto shelves and ringing up customers.

Then she walked in and he couldn't tell if that made his day better or worse. She browsed the shelves for a moment before picking up a bag of sugar and moving over to him. She set the bag on the counter, smiling at him shyly, and he just nodded to her. "Dollar ten." He told her curtly, and he wondered why she looked disappointed since the price hadn't gone up more than a few pennies recently.

She handed him the money but didn't leave, hanging around like there was something she wanted to say. "Tell your Papa I'm making some of those brownies he likes so much." She said finally. "I'll bring him some over later tonight." Her voice was soft with a light drawl, and he nodded, offering her a tentative curve of his lips. She looked somewhat appeased and left the store, carrying her bag of sugar cradled in one arm like a child.

"You know Leroy, it wouldn't hurt to talk a little bit more with your customers." Suggested Jackson Gibbs calmly as he stepped out into the open. "This is gonna be your store one day after all. And she likes you. Would it kill you to show a little friendliness?"

Jethro glared down at his feet petulantly, opening the till and dropping her money in before pushing it shut with more force than was strictly necessary. "She doesn't like me." He muttered, scuffing a foot against the ground.

"Well, you're wrong about that." decided Jackson, moving around the counter and shooing his son out from behind it. "Why don't you try having an actual conversation with that girl when she stops over with my brownies tonight? For now, go on out and have a little fun, you don't have to hang around the shop with me today, it shouldn't be too busy."

Jethro nodded and left, walking down the street towards the pond. Once he got there, he pulled his shoes off and rolled his pants' legs up, dropping down on the pier and hanging his calves over the edge. He pulled a letter out of his jacket pocket and unfolded it again. He hadn't told his father about it yet, he knew his old man would be upset, having always expressed a clear opinion of what he thought Jethro's future should be. It wasn't an acceptance letter, hell, it wasn't even really a letter that showed any interest. It was just a mass-produced letter with a general statement of greeting and pandering along with some business hours and contact information. He would find time in the next month or so to go into town and he would speak to the recruiter.

He felt someone watching him and stuffed the letter back in his pocket, whipping around. She stood behind him, her surprise turning to guilt as he glanced at her curiously. "Didn't mean to startle you." She murmured. "You looked a little preoccupied."

"Thought you were gonna bake brownies." He muttered, puzzled and without realizing how it sounded until she turned her head away from him, struggling with the irritation on her face. "Didn't mean it like that." He tried to soothe her, frowning uncertainly.

"S'Okay." She shifted uncomfortably, sitting down cross legged on the wooden pier. "You don't really think before you talk." It wasn't an insult, just an observation, and he shrugged in agreement and apology. "This is a nice spot you've found here, good place to think."

The breeze picked up around them, blowing some of her hair into her face and she pushed it back automatically as though she'd done it a thousand times before. He moved a foot slowly in the water, turning his gaze back to the lake. "There used to be fish in here." He commented thoughtfully.

"How d'you know there aren't anymore?" she asked and he shrugged.

"No one catches anything anymore, so they mostly stopped coming around. No bites means no fish." He replied matter-of-factly, wondering why she bothered to question his simple statement.

"Maybe they just got smart and stopped taking the bait." She suggested, a note of interest in her voice, and he chuckled at the idea. She looked mildly offended. "Well, just because you can't see them, doesn't mean they're not here." She defended her idea firmly. "And I'm gonna prove it. I'm gonna find a fish in this pond if it takes me all year."

He laughed harder at this and even she couldn't stop the corner of her lips from twitching up in amusement. "You've got some crazy ideas Anderson." He told her amusedly.

She looked down at her hands in her lap, twisting together under her gaze. "You can call me Shannon." She instructed shyly. "If you want to."

"Shannon." He repeated quietly. He was quiet for a moment, thinking out his words carefully for once. "D'you remember that time, back when we were kids, and I stole your book?" he asked hesitantly, and she nodded, the tip of her nose turning pink with the beginning of a blush. "What was it? What were you reading?" he asked her, honestly curious.

She looked surprised, and she closed her eyes, thinking back. "Um, I think it was my Mama's old copy of Gone With the Wind." She admitted, blushing a little more. "Why?"

"I just wondered." He said, going back to the pond.

"That was ten years ago, Jethro." She pointed out, puzzled. "You've wondered for that long?"

Jethro shrugged again. "I wonder about odd things sometimes." He said by way of explanation and she seemed to realize that it was better to leave that subject alone.

It was another long time before either of them spoke again, and then Shannon pushed herself to her feet, glancing over at him where he was sitting by the water, perfectly still. "I should get back or your Papa won't get his brownies." She said quietly. "See you later, Jethro."

"Bye Shannon." He murmured. He didn't look up until he was sure that she was gone, and then that was only to prove that she really was. Then he got up, wiping off his feet with his jacket sleeve before pulling his shoes back on and walking back into town.

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**A/N:** This chapter should already have begun to explain the poem. On a side topic, I'm usually a very serious writer, but unfortunately this is also one of my most serious stories yet. That's not to warn you off the story, it's just to point out that if you're looking for something amusing to read after a long, crappy day, this probably isn't your best bet. I'm actually working on a little pet project with ResidentPyromaniac that should be pure comedy, but that won't be up for a while, sadly.


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